An Adventure Begins
by 2remember
Summary: Takes place beyond the scope of the manga  Three first-year Junior-High girls set out to uncover the secrets of Library Island; however, they're not ready for what they find...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners, particularly the characters taken from the manga, Mahou Sensei Negima. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

><p>Kiri Mishima was about to nod off for the third time in an hour when the school bell rang, signaling the end of classes for today. Her English teacher, Springfield-sensei, repeated the homework assignment for tomorrow as most of the class rushed out to anywhere else. Kiri gathered her things and started to leave with the last few stragglers when her teacher called out, "Mishima-san, a moment, please?" With a sigh, she stopped before the teacher's desk and waited for what she knew was to come.<p>

Kiri was a first-year student at Mahora Academy, a school that provided education for students from elementary school through university. Her parents wanted her to have a good education, and had gotten a recommendation for the school from her father's company. After a tour of the campus, she was enrolled and packed off.

Kiri's adjustment to the school was not good, so far. This was her first time away from family, in a strange place and among strange people; a surprising amount of them being foreigners. This caused the girl to shy away from making friends with anyone in her class, even though some had tried to make the girl's acquaintance. The school staff was concerned about her withdrawing into herself, and were trying to help the girl settle in, hence the impromptu meeting with her English teacher. Though he wasn't her homeroom teacher, the Assistant Dean had decided that he would be the best person to help her along; saying, "he has a talent for bringing shy girls out of their shell."

Kiri did have to admit that, as teachers went, Negi Springfield wasn't a bad sort. He was from Wales, he told the class on the first day. He was tall, like a lot of gaijin, with an unkempt head of red hair he tried to keep tied back in a short ponytail. He was also lean, and every now and then you could tell that he was well developed under his suit. Springfield-sensei wore a strange pair of glasses, ones that didn't seem to have arms that hooked behind his ears. When asked about them, he said that they were called pince-nez, and they were held to his face by the nose bridge alone. He also wore a ring on the middle finger of his left hand. Kiri had initially thought it was a wedding ring, until she remembered that wedding bands were worn on the fourth finger of the left hand, not the third. Several small scars on his face and hands also gave the impression there was more to him than just being a teacher.

"How are you doing today, Mishima-san?" the teacher began, snapping Kiri out of her reverie.

"I'm fine," was Kiri's reply, "everything is okay; aside from the English homework, that is."

The teacher chuckled, "I'm sorry I can't do anything about the work load," then he changed the subject, "so, have you joined a club yet? Made any friends?"

"Not really," Kiri admitted, "although I was heading over to Library Island."

Springfield-sensei smiled at that. "Have you considered joining the Library Exploration Club?" he asked, "I know several girls who were members in the past, and they really enjoyed it. If you like Library Island, that would be the perfect club for you."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kiri replied, not wanting to dismiss the suggestion to his face, "but I'm not really interested in becoming a librarian."

"Well, I don't mean to pressure you," he replied, "but I can tell you that being in the Library Exploration Club is about more than just being a librarian. If you want, I can give you the name of the Faculty Advisor for the club. She'd be happy to tell you anything you want, and I happen to think you two would get along famously."

"I'll think about it," Kiri replied, really wanting to get away now from this high-pressure sales pitch.

"Alright, I won't trouble you further," he finally said, "have a good day and be sure to get your homework done for tomorrow."

With that, Kiri was released from the inquisition. She turned and left the classroom as quickly as she could without running.

Making a stop in the girl's bathroom, Kiri parked herself before one of the sinks, leaning against it and breathing a sigh of relief. It wasn't that she resented Springfield-sensei's interference in her personal life; it was that she just didn't want to be here. She missed her home, her family and her friends. Although the people here were nice, they were strange, and she was having a hard time dealing with that.

After a moment, she took off her glasses, turned on the water faucet, and splashed some water on her face. Turning the water off, she reached over and grabbed a paper towel and wiped her face. She then looked a moment at her reflection.

She wasn't a tall girl, and she wasn't pretty by any stretch of the imagination. She had no shape to speak of; certainly not the womanly curves some of her classmates had, especially the foreigners. Her face was roundish and plain, with a few spots of acne beginning to bloom in embarrassingly prominent places. Her hair was black and cut short, just below her ears, so she didn't have to fuss with it like some other girls did. And then, there were her glasses. They were big and round and borderline thick. Even now, standing maybe two feet away from the mirror, she could only see her reflection as a blur. No one would want her around them; only her friends back home accepted her as she was. Shaking her head to stop that train of thought, Kiri put her glasses back on and turned, threw the used towel in the trash, then left.

Coming to the shoe lockers, she changed into her street shoes and ran out of the school building, threading her way through the mass of students and adults freed from their duties; making her way to a bridge that stretched out to an island, Library Island.

In her first week at Mahora, Kiri took a tour of the campus, having nothing better to do. When the tour reached Library Island, the girl was captivated by all of the books there, on every imaginable subject. There were more books on the one floor they had visited than she had ever seen, even at the regional lending library in her home town! Not only that, there were nooks, crannies and alcoves where she could sit and read all day if she wanted. Kiri knew she could lose herself in here, reading and exploring and reading some more. Since that day, she would hurry over to the island as soon as she could, wishing a lot of times she could just live there and not even bother with school.

Kiri made good time to Library Island. She entered and almost ran down the aisle to a study nook she had found the first time she came here. She was in such a hurry, she didn't watch where she was going and bumped into one of the librarians, carrying a large stack of books. Both the girl and the young woman crashed to the floor amidst a rain of falling tomes.

"Ahh! I'm sorry!" Kiri exclaimed while protecting herself from falling lore, "I should have been more careful!"

The young librarian just smiled. "No, it was my fault," she said, "I shouldn't have been carrying so many books I couldn't see where I was going."

With that, the woman got up and proceeded to pick up the fallen books. Feeling guilty, Kiri quickly got up and helped her. The young woman was about 5' 5" and slim. Her dark hair was cut just above her shoulders, her bangs held back by hair clips that look almost like wings. Her chest was of modest size, giving Kiri a flash of jealousy at her own lack of development. Between the two, all of the books were quickly recovered, and in stacks that allowed both of them to watch where they were going. The woman then turned and continued on to her destination, Kiri close behind.

"You're one of the new students," the woman said as they walked, "first year?"

"Yes, sensei; Kiri Mishima, class 1-C, Mahora Academy Junior High School," Kiri replied.

"Oh, I'm not a teacher here, just one of the librarians," the woman replied, "Nodoka Miyazaki."

"Pleased to meet you," Kiri replied.

By that time, the two had arrived at one of the checkout stations. Nodoka put her pile on the counter and motioned for Kiri to do the same.

"Thank you for helping me with these, Mishima-san," she said, "next time I'm going to have to remember to find a cart."

"You're welcome," Kiri replied, "but I thought the younger students processed check ins and check outs."

"Not for these books," Nodoka replied, "these books are only available to school staff and university students."

Kiri's eyes jumped to the top of the stacks they had just set down when Nodoka said that, and saw that the book on top was a manual of sexual techniques, with a rather explicit cover. Kiri blushed at that and Nodoka chuckled.

"Like I said, adults only," she added as she walked around the counter, "thanks again, Mishima-san for your help. Next time, though, please walk in the aisles and keep a wary eye out for poor workers like me, who can't always see where they're going." With that last admonition, Nodoka turned to the stacks and began doing whatever librarians did to books behind checkout counters.

Turning away from the counter, Kiri realized she had not been to this part of the library before, and was lost. She wandered away, looking at the shelves and the walls, trying to get some kind of idea where she was in the complex. It didn't seem like she had walked all that far with the librarian, but she might as well have been transported to the far side of the moon.

As Kiri walked away, Nodoka went around, quickly sorting the books for shelving. _Kiri Mishima, _she thought to herself as she worked, _Negi's talked about a Kiri Mishima. I wonder if she's the same girl?_ Putting the thought aside, Nodoka finished sorting, then took a quick look at the counter. Not seeing what she was looking for, she shuffled around some papers, then checked the floor. Still not finding what she was looking for, she checked all around the area behind the counter.

_Where was that map? I know I set it down here before I went to get those returns, so where did it get to? And that was a Library Island Exploration Club map, not one of the regular ones. I'd better find it fast, or there could be trouble._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners, particularly the characters taken from the manga, Mahou Sensei Negima. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p>Kiri saw a flash of something familiar; a girl in a junior-high uniform like hers. She quickened her pace, not running mind you, to catch up to the figure she had seen. She quickly caught up to the girl, who had walked up to another girl. All three startled at seeing one another.<p>

"Well, Mina-chan, when did you pick up the stray?" asked the girl they met up with.

The girl, Mina, turned around to Kiri, shrugged her shoulders and replied, "haven't got a clue. So, what's your story?"

Kiri replied, "I got lost and you were the first familiar thing I saw, so I followed you."

"Oh," was Mina's reply. "Say, I recognize you; you're in our class."

Kiri cocked her head a moment, remembering. She wasn't the most sociable person in the world normally; since coming to Mahora a month and a half ago she had become positively reclusive, so really didn't know anyone in her class.

"Kiri Mishima," she said after coming up blank, "and you are..."

"Mina Tamazaki," Mina replied, "seat 18. This is Kathy Tanaka, seat 17 and my roommate."

The other girl, Kathy, nodded her head and said, "hi; don't hate me because I'm gaijin."

Mina was Japanese, like Kiri, but about half a head taller than her. She was also just a little more developed than Kiri, with the beginnings of curves to her hips and a slight rise to her chest. Her face was more oval than Kiri's, with no glasses and no zits to speak of. She was a pretty girl; the only thing marring her looks were the braces in her teeth.

Kathy, on the other hand, looked perfect. She was tall, slender and curvaceous, with breasts about as developed as the librarian Kiri had just met. She was definitely a foreigner; the only thing that vaguely looked Japanese were her eyes, and even then, only a little. She had long, blond hair that seemed to stop about half way down her back. And the girl thought Kiri would hate her at first sight. No, if anything, Kiri envied the girl her exotic and mature looks.

"Okay, don't hate me for barging in," Kiri replied with a half smile, "so, you wouldn't happen to know where in the library we are? I'm lost."

Mina reached into her blazer and pulled out a paper. Looking at it a moment, she replied, "Reference 1-C, University-level."

"Just how did you get here, Mishima-san," Kathy asked.

"I just got to the library and literally ran into one of the librarians. I helped her bring her books over the counter there and was trying to find my way back when I saw Tamazaki-san. So, what's your excuse?"

"Oh, we're just doing a little reconnaissance," Mina replied, "you see, there's a lot more to Library Island than most students realize."

"Oh?"

"Well," Kathy said with a sly smile, "if you're interested in finding out more, come on with us. Otherwise, head down that row of bookshelves and turn left and you'll be back at the main aisle."

Kiri thought about it for a moment. She could leave, but the invitation was enticing. She didn't know anyone, didn't have any friends, and the school was concerned about that. It wasn't until this moment she realized that they were right in their concern; she missed having friends. And the thought that this massive, wonderful library had a secret tantalized her imagination.

"You know, I think I am interested," she replied, "lead on."

The new trio of girls walked to a close by alcove. It featured a large window that looked out over the lake that surrounded the island, and had couches and seats situated around, along with a couple of study tables and chairs. Mina and Kathy went over to one of the couches and sat, settling themselves in and pulling their legs up under them. Kiri went and sat in a seat somewhat close by.

"C'mon and sit over here, with us," Kathy said, "we don't bite and we can't be co-conspirators if you're sitting all the way over there!"

Kiri got up and joined them, sitting next to Kathy.

"Now," Kathy continued, "this is what we're doing. Like I said, there's more to Library Island than most people know, and Mina and I are going to find out what it is."

"What are we talking about," Kiri asked, "smuggling, drugs, that kind of thing?"

"No, no," Mina said, "something a lot better. I've heard that this library has a book that if you read it, you become super smart!"

"Well, duh," Kiri said, "you do tend to get smarter by reading things, like books."

"Yeah," Kathy said, "but this book makes you, like, super smart!"

"I heard that years ago, five girls found that book," Mina said, "they tested out of every class and by the end of the year, the school had to give them PhDs."

"All from reading one book," Kiri said with obvious disbelief.

"Okay, that may be a bit over the top," Mina continued, "but I did hear that the girls came here, found the book, then went back and passed their finals."

"So, in other words, you're saying that they studied," Kiri said.

"No, no; they got this book and got smarter," Mina replied.

"Okay; the only book I know of that can make you smarter is a textbook," Kiri said, "there's no magic book that can make you super intelligent."

"There's another part of the story," Kathy said, "the girls found a room, deep in the library, that gave you everything you needed; books, food, whatever. They say that people who find that room never come back; they just stay down there reading forever."

"Well, obviously, someone came back to tell that story," Kiri said, "and by your own admission, five girls went there and came back."

"Yeah, they came back," Mina said, "that doesn't mean they wanted to."

"Well, this sounds all fine, well and good," Kiri said, "but, so what? How could you even find this place, or that book?"

"That's where this comes in," Mina replied, holding up the paper she had pulled from her jacket, "this supposedly is a complete map of the library. Take a look."

Kiri took the paper that Mina handed her and looked. The first couple of pages looked like the guide that one could get anywhere in the library. The rest of the pages were a different story. There were levels and levels below the basement of the building, and all of them marked "Off Limits to the Public," or "Library Exploration Only." Not only that, there was something funny about the paper the map was printed on. There was some kind of funny watermark embedded in the paper, and it almost seemed to glow, if you looked at it the right way.

"This library is deeper than it is tall," Mina said, "not only that, it spreads out beyond the edge of the island, so that means part of it is under the lake. Now, what do you suppose is down there?"

"I don't know, but it's off limits," Kiri said.

"That's why we're going to sneak down there," Kathy said, "this weekend, we're coming back and we're going down there to find out what the secret is. You in?"

Kiri thought about it a moment, then replied, "sure, why not. I've got nothing better to do."

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><p>That evening, Kiri settled down in her dorm room for the night. She had talked with Mina and Kathy for about an hour, then the trio left the library and went to dinner. After that, Kiri returned to her room, did her homework and called it a night. Having the dorm to herself helped; she wasn't distracted by the comings and goings of a roommate.<p>

As she faded off to sleep, Kiri reflected on what happened today. She had actually made some acquaintances and it felt good to be in a group again. _Maybe the teachers were right __after all_, was her last thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners, particularly the characters taken from the manga, Mahou Sensei Negima. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p>"Are you sure you had it with you when you were at that desk?" Dean Konoemon Konoe asked. Even though he was lying in a bed, supposedly dying of cancer, he was as sharp as he ever was before his illness. Nodoka knew the predicament she was in was serious, but not serious enough for her to be called to the Dean's hospital bed. Off to the side, the Dean's granddaughter Konoka and her companion Setsuna stood waiting to hear what, if anything, the Dean wanted them to do.<p>

"Yes sir, I'm quite sure," Nodoka replied, "I checked everywhere I had been yesterday and there's no sign of it."

"This is very troubling," the dean replied, pausing to cough, "that map can be very dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands. Did you tell all of the Library Exploration teams to be on the lookout for it?"

"Yes, sir; I logged a report as soon as I realized I wasn't going to find it."

"Well, there's not much more that can be done about it now. Setsuna-san, have the security staff rotate the monitoring spells around all of the secured doorways on the island, and have the access spell canceled on that map. And make sure that Library Island is more closely watched over the next few days, just in case." Setsuna acknowledged her orders with a nod.

Nodoka breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she had dodged a bullet, when the Dean added, "and one more thing, Nodoka-san. I want you to be on-site at the library this weekend. Follow up on any incidents that may occur, and have a detailed report to Konoka first thing Monday."

"Yes, sir," Nodoka replied. She should have figured that she'd get some kind of punishment for losing one of the restricted access maps to Library Island. Some of the lower levels had traps that could kill the unwary or unprepared. She considered herself lucky that all she got was the equivalent of a weekend's detention.

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><p>As soon as Kiri walked into the classroom that morning, her two co-conspirators spotted her and waived her over to their desk, raising not a few eyebrows in the rest of the class. They talked briefly and made plans to eat lunch together before Ayase-sensei came in and began class.<p>

Yue Ayase was about four inches taller than Kiri was. For all of her height, the teacher carried herself in such a way that no one, student or teacher, would willingly cross her. She had dark hair, almost blue-ish, that fell down to just about her shoulders. Her face and hairline were such that she looked to have an incredibly large forehead, and the way she spoke gave the impression that her brain was much larger than most people's too.

Another thing Kiri noticed was that her homeroom teacher was fairly well built. She had the womanly curves that Kiri would just die for, smallish breasts that nevertheless matched her build, and something else; something that Kiri didn't think a woman of Ayase-sensei's stature would ever have. She had the taut, developed muscles that Kiri had seen on more than a few of the faculty here, particularly her English teacher, Springfield-sensei.

"Alright class, take out your homework and turn it in," Ayase-sensei said, interrupting Kiri's thoughts, "then turn in your textbooks to page 106."

* * *

><p>At lunch, the girls met, got their trays and went looking for a table. As they walked by, they saw Springfield-sensei talking with Ayase-sensei and two other women, seated at a faculty table. All seemed to be smiling and even laughing about something.<p>

"Looks like another maiden has been smitten by the God of Love, Negi Springfield," Mina said, looking at Kiri, "I know you two have been talking, but give it up, girl. With all of the beautiful women he has hanging off him, you don't stand a chance."

"Yeah," Kathy added, "many before you have tried taming the wild and illusive Negi Springfield, only to be shot down in flames. They even have an order of nuns at the Christian church filled with nothing girls who have been rejected by him."

"It's nothing like that!" Kiri exclaimed, causing a few heads around them to turn. In a lower voice, she continued, "it's just that Springfield-sensei is supposed to be helping me adjust to school."

"Oooh, tell me more," Mina said as they finally found a table, "does it have anything to do with candlelight dinners and moonlight walks?"

"Or maybe whipped cream and handcuffs?" added Kathy with a snicker.

"Our relationship is not even a day old and I'm beginning to regret it," Kiri replied, splitting her chopsticks and beginning to eat.

"Say, did you see who was sitting with him?" Mina asked, changing the subject.

"Other than Ayase-sensei, no. I didn't recognize them," Kiri replied.

"The brown haired woman is Konoka Konoe, the Dean's granddaughter," Kathy replied, "from what I hear, she's really the power behind the throne here at Mahora. Her grandfather, Dean Konoe's in charge on paper, but she handles all of the day to day affairs."

"And the white-haired woman sitting next to her is The Angel of Death," Mina added, "Setsuna Sakarazaki. She's Konoe-sama's assistant, and also in charge of discipline. Students who get sent to her are never heard from again."

"You're kidding me," Kiri said.

"From what I've heard, it's true," Mina replied, "I overheard two of the sempais talking about it. Last year, some student got into some kind of trouble, and she took care of it. And I'm not talking about running in the hallways or cheating on a test; I'm talking about fires, explosions and real crazy stuff. Sakarazaki-san got called in, and the girl, along with the troubles, disappeared."

"The point is," Kathy added, "we don't want to run afoul of either Konoe-sama or Sakarazaki-san."

"By the way," Kiri added, "is there something wrong with Konoe-sama?"

"Oh, haven't you heard," Kathy added with a wicked grin, "she's pregnant; and the word is Springfield-sensei is the father."

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><p>"I will be glad when this is over with," Konoka Konoe griped to her friends, arching her back to stretch out, "my feet are swollen, my back is killing me and I look like a blimp!"<p>

"But you're such a cute blimp," Negi deadpanned.

"You be quiet!" Konoka snapped with a smile, "it's your fault I'm in this condition!"

"Now, Kono-chan," Setsuna started, but was cut off.

"And don't you 'Kono-chan' me! It's your fault too!" Konoka shot back.

"It's your own fault," Yue Ayase said, "you were the one who wanted a baby."

"It wasn't just that," Konoka admitted, "father and grandfather were getting pretty insistent. They said I needed to produce an heir soon, and they were going to force me to leave Se-chan and marry a stranger if I didn't have one soon, so I had to do something."

"So you got pregnant," Yue said, "and made sure Setsuna was the 'father', just to rub it in their faces."

"And I didn't even need magic to do it," Konoka smugly replied, "with all of the advances in treating infertility, it was a simple matter to have Se-chan's DNA inserted into some of Negi's sperm. Fertilize the eggs in a petri dish, insert Tab A into Slot B and, voila! Setsuna and I have a baby!"

"Although, if the child has red hair, I may have to have a word with you, Negi-san," Setsuna added, casting a sidelong glance at the only man at the table. Negi gulped.

"You know, if the story about how this happened ever gets out, we'll never live it down," Negi said.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Setsuna replied, "I've told our resident gossips what would happen if I ever heard tell of it."

* * *

><p>That afternoon, Kiri was back on Library Island. Unfortunately, today she wasn't here to read. She was here to try and find a way down into the lower levels of the library. Not only that, but to find a way that wouldn't get them caught. Though they never came right out and said it, Kathy and Mina hinted that they had both tried before and almost gotten caught.<p>

The first thing she did was to watch the librarians. Most of them were students like herself, members of the Library Exploration Club, she assumed. They mostly spent their time checking in and checking out books, processing them, then re-shelving them. Every now and then, Kiri saw one go around and police the various alcoves and study areas, removing what trash was left and collecting any stray books lying around.

After observing for a while, she noticed that sometimes, the librarians would go to a door along one of the walls, and disappear through it. Some time later, the person would exit the door, sometimes carrying books. Kiri reasoned that there must be more shelves behind that door.

Making her way over to the door, she saw that the door was marked, "Staff Only." Taking a quick look around her, she tried the door and saw it wasn't locked. She was about to open it and walk in when she heard a noise from the other side. Letting go of the knob, she quickly got away from the door and ducked between some bookshelves. One of the adult librarians walked out and left, not noticing anything amiss.

Kiri went to a nearby alcove and sat on a couch there. She thought for a moment about what she had seen. The student librarians didn't seem to have any kind of token or badge or any other indication that they were part of the staff. The one librarian she saw leaving the door she had located didn't have anything either. Then she remembered a story she had heard from her uncle, about a co-worker he had who could waste an entire day walking around doing nothing, just by having a piece of paper in his hand. Her uncle had said that all someone had to do was have something in their hand and look like they either belonged or knew where they were going and they could go anywhere and do anything. (**Author's Note:** try this at your own risk!) That gave Kiri an idea.

It took her a bit, but a little searching netted Kiri a magic token of sorts; a packing tape dispenser one used to seal boxes for shipping. It had a handle like a gun, and a big roll of tape at the other end. Taking that, the girl headed for the restricted door.

As she approached it, she took a deep breath, opened the door and went inside. Beyond the door was a space a lot like the main library. There were rows of bookshelves everywhere, but the books were a little more haphazardly shelved. This area also had a lot of filing cabinets, and stacks of papers and books were everywhere, covering almost every horizontal surface Kiri could see.

Kiri began walking around, trying to look like she belonged there. Her eyes would dart to and fro, looking for some kind of indicator that there was an access to lower levels. Finally, she came to a stairway and took it down.

This level was a lot like the level she just left. Plus, it looked like what she expected the basement of a library to be. Looking around her, she saw that the stairway extended down another level, so she followed it down.

This next level was just like the last, though here there were more filing cabinets than shelves. The stairway also ended here. Kiri started wandering around looking for another door.

"Okay, girls, gather round!" called out a voice.

Kiri saw movement and quickly ducked below cabinet level. Around her, she heard movement and talking as girls began congregating around the voice. Cautiously, Kiri followed them, staying back so as not to be seen.

The girls gathered around an adult, who was standing by a door. Kiri recognized the woman as Nodoka Miyazaki, the librarian she had run into yesterday.

"Now, girls," Nodoka called out, "we're going to spend this session rappelling and filing some books away. When we get down there, you and your partners check out the equipment and get ready. Those of you that haven't qualified with climbing gear yet will be cleaning the shelves on the balcony. Is everyone clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" all of the girls replied.

"Okay, single file and let's move out" Nodoka said, opening the door and leading the group down.

Kiri waited until the last girl was at the door, then rushed up and caught it before it closed. Taking a look at the doorknob, she determined that it did lock, though she didn't know how Nodoka had unlocked it. Thinking quickly, she took the tape dispenser and pulled a length of tape from it, tearing it free. The tape was a heavy clear plastic kind, used to hold boxes closed for shipping. Kiri hoped it would be strong enough, and put the strip on the edge of the door, pushing back the bolt, preventing it from catching the door frame. Hoping it would work, she closed the door, then pulled it open again. The tape held and the door opened. Smiling to herself, Kiri made her way back to the main library, confident she had found what she had set out to find. Kathy and Mina would be pleased at her progress.

* * *

><p>After making sure that all of the teams had properly stowed their equipment, Nodoka led the Library Exploration Club, Senior High Division, back up to the main library proper. When she got to the door that lead back into the sub-level, she opened the door and almost fell through it when the door just gave way. Catching herself, she stepped to the side so the others could exit and checked the door. Looking at the bolt, she saw that someone had taped it so the bolt wouldn't catch. She stripped off the tape, then called out, "okay, who thought it was a good idea to mess with the door?"<p>

The girls that had come up looked at her strangely, then looked around at each other. There were shrugs and murmurs of "not me" from everyone. Those still coming up said the same thing when Nodoka questioned them. She looked around and saw a discarded tape gun which held the offending tape.

"Girls, let me remind you that this door is controlled access point," Nodoka said, "taping it so it won't lock is a security violation and will get you suspended for a week if caught. I'm not going to press the issue this time, but if it happens again, I'll call Sakarazaki-san in to investigate, and woe be unto those responsible when she finds them!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners, particularly the characters taken from the manga, Mahou Sensei Negima. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Thursday, Ayase-sensei began class with an announcement.<p>

"I will not be in class tomorrow," she began, "Takahata-sensei has graciously agreed to take over my classes for me, so tomorrow will be a study hall. I will, however, have a quiz on the material we've covered this week, so I would suggest that you actually use tomorrow for study, and not for gossip."

After class, Mina came up to Kiri and asked, "so, everything go okay yesterday?"

"Yeah," Kiri replied, "I think I found the doors to the lower level. We shouldn't have a problem getting down there."

"Good," Mina replied, "this afternoon, let's all three go back and make sure. We've got to be ready for Saturday."

* * *

><p>"So, you're going to Aradne this weekend?" Nokoka asked Yue at lunch that day.<p>

"Yeah," was the reply, "it's kinda like the Reserves; you do a weekend's duty every so often, then an extended tour during the summer."

"Is there anything you'd like to do tonight before you ship out," Nodoka asked next, "maybe spend the night alone with Negi?"

"No, I'll be okay," Yue replied, "besides, I've got some things I need to do before I leave in the morning."

"Yue..."

"I know, I know. I'm telling the truth. I was asked to pick up some things here before I went back, and I've still got to do that."

"Well, okay, I guess. Say, how about it if you come with me to the Library Exploration Club this afternoon? You haven't been down there in a while, and we haven't had any girl time together in weeks."

"I'd like that," Yue replied with the small smile that said she was really happy.

* * *

><p>"Mishima-san, could I see you for a moment," Springfield-sensei called out as Kiri, Mina and Kathy were leaving the classroom at the end of the day.<p>

"Yes, sensei," Kiri replied, presenting herself at his desk for yet another impromptu counseling session. Mina and Kathy hung back, not leaving the room, but staying far enough away to give the illusion of privacy.

Glancing at the two, the teacher remarked with a smile, "I see something has changed in the last couple of days."

"You could say that," was her reply.

"Several of your teachers have commented on it, and I must say we're relieved that you've actually opened up to someone. Good work."

"Thank you, sensei," Kiri replied with a slight blush.

"The reason why I wanted to talk to you was to give you the name of the Faculty Advisor for the Library Exploration Club. Maybe you and your friends could check it out together."

Springfield-sensei reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded slip of paper and handed it to her. Kiri, not wanting to be rude, accepted the paper then looked at her friends, silently asking if she could leave. The teacher nodded with a "go on" and Kiri turned and joined her friends. The trio left the class for parts unknown.

Out in the hallway, the girls were walking for the shoe lockers. "So, what's that note, really?" Mina asked, "a love letterrr?"

"Please," Kiri replied," Springfield-sensei has been wanting me to look into the Library Exploration Club, so he gave me the name of the advisor."

"Let's see," Mina said, snatching the slip from Kiri's hand and opening it. The paper had the name, "Nodoka Miyazaki" written on it, in English, and a phone number. Kathy read the name out loud.

"Hmm, an impromptu English quiz," Mina murmured, "so, is Nodoka her given name or her family name?"

"Given," Kiri replied, "I've met her. She's the librarian I ran into the other day when I met you two."

"Oh. Maybe we should talk to her then," Kathy said, "being in the club might get us closer to the lower levels."

"Do you two really want to spend most of your afternoons shuffling books around?" Kiri asked, "I really doubt they'd let kids our age down there. I happened to run into a group heading down into the lower levels yesterday, and they were all high school girls. And, honestly, I've only ever seen junior high girls working the desks and such in the main library, so that's what we'd be doing if we joined up. Now, while I like being in the library, I don't think it would be fun picking up after other people."

A short while later, the three were in the main library, heading for the door to the restricted area.

"Now, like I said," Kiri told the other two, "the best way we're going to pull this off is to look like we've got business there. Have you got that map?"

"Yeah; here," said Mina, pulling out the document and handing to Kiri.

Taking it, Kiri noticed that it looked different. The watermarks she had seen when she first saw the document were gone. Chalking it up to the lighting, she charged forward through the door into the back area.

Once in back, she directed the other two to find a book or something to carry, to make it look like they were supposed to be shelving something back here. They did, and, props in hand, set out for the lowest level.

When they got to the basement, Kiri had Kathy and Mina hang back for a moment while she went and checked the door. She explained that she didn't want to run into a group heading down for fear of being challenged. She disappeared for a moment, then came back, waiving her friends onward.

As they approached the door, Kiri noticed that the map seemed to start vibrating. She took a quick look at it, but dismissed it as her imagination. When they got to the door, she reached out to open it, grabbing the door knob and turning. Several things happened next.

First off, the door didn't open. Next, a screeching wail sounded out, like a portal to Hell had opened and the cries of the damned echoed forth. Lastly, the map she was holding burst into flames.

All three girls broke into a run, heading back to the stairway. Before they could get there, they heard the door burst open behind them, so they ducked behind some filing cabinets. Taking a peek around the corner, Kathy whispered, "oh crap, it's Ayase-sensei!"

Just outside of the violated door, their homeroom teacher stood, a small wand in hand, looking around. Seconds later, another librarian appeared behind her. They spoke for a moment, then Ayase-sensei began moving towards them, with what looked like murder in her eyes.

The blond gaijin whipped her head back behind the cabinet and added, "we've got to get out of here!"

The three girls got up into a low crouch and began moving as fast as they could away from the teacher. As they moved, they heard the other teacher talking on the phone. Kiri recognized the teacher's voice as Nodoka Miyazaki.

"Yes, someone has tried to enter the restricted sub levels of the library," Nodoka was saying, "we'll try to catch them here, but have someone check upstairs, just in case."

"We've got to get out of this basement," Kiri said, "maybe if we can make it back to the main library level, we can blend in and get away."

Cautiously, they made their way to the stairwell. Taking a quick look around, they saw no one there, they quickly and quietly ran up to the main level. Taking a moment to try and calm themselves, the girls then walked out of the restricted area.

They had just breathed a sigh of relief when a young girl's voice said, "so, sneaking around where you don't belong, hmm?"

* * *

><p>"I checked the whole floor, but didn't find anything," Yue told her friend, "I thought I saw something when I first came through the door, but nothing came of it."<p>

"I called security," Nodoka replied, "they have someone in the area who is looking into it."

"You know," Yue said next, "I don't quite remember the Club being this exciting on a Thursday afternoon."

"And I'm afraid it's my fault," Nodoka admitted, "I'll explain as we go back downstairs."

* * *

><p>Kiri, Mina and Kathy turned to the speaker. Before them, with hands on hips, was a young gaijin girl, about ten years old, dressed in a frilly dress. She had blond hair down to her ankles, kept back with a bonnet of all things. On her right wrist hung a bunny shaped handbag. She looked almost like an old European doll from a picture book, except for the look in her eyes. Her eyes looked like a cat, taking the measure of the mouse she was about to pounce on.<p>

"Well, did you have fun?" the girl asked next. Pointing to the door, she said, "that area is for library staff only. You three obviously don't look like library staff, so what's your excuse?"

"Why should we tell you, shorty?" Kathy said.

"Oooo, defiance," the girl purred, "they really don't have a clue, do they Chachamaru?"

"No mistress, they don't," came another voice, this one from behind them. The girls whipped around and saw another girl, taller with long greenish hair and what looked like wings or fins where her ears should be. She had an impassive look on her face as she regarded them, but Kiri could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rising.

"Look," Kiri blurted out, "we just wanted to see what was on the other side, so we snuck back there. We heard a noise and ran out here. We didn't mean any harm."

The young girl eyed them up and down for a moment, then smirked. Kiri would swear later on that she saw a fang peek out from the girl's lip.

"Alright then," she finally said, "I won't keep you. Just keep in mind that these doors are labeled the way they are for a reason. And not everything you may see around here is what it seems. Now scoot."

With that, the three girls fairly well ran for the entrance.

As she watched the girls run off, Evangeline A. K. McDowell chuckled to herself.

"Is something funny, mistress?"asked her associate, Chachamaru Karakuri.

"It's nothing," Eva said, "just that those three were the ones who tripped that alarm, that's all."

"Should we not report them to the Dean, then?"

"No," the girl scoffed, "they're about as dangerous as dryer lint in a rain storm. They've had their fun and a good scare, so they probably won't try this again. There's no need to get them into trouble for something this minor."

"But what about the security staff?" Chachamaru asked next.

"What about them?" Eva replied, "things have been too quiet around here lately. Let them run around looking for terrorists or whatever for a while; it's good exercise for them. C'mon, let's head back to the cabin. That brat will probably be there wanting to give some of his partners a workout."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners, particularly the characters taken from the manga, Mahou Sensei Negima. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

><p>As announced the day before, the substitute teacher walked into the classroom at the beginning of the day. The tall, buxom woman introduced herself as Shizuna Takahata, and told the class that it was a free study period. After taking roll, she took a seat, pulled out some paperwork and began working.<p>

Just as the woman sat down, Kiri felt something hit the back of her head. Turning, she saw Kathy motioning her back to their desk. Other girls in the class seemed to be congregating around their various cliques, so she got up and moved her chair over next to Mina.

"You know, I still don't understand what happened yesterday," Kathy started, "you just turned that door knob and the alarm went off. And what happened to the map?"

"I have no idea," Kiri replied, "I guess there's some kind of laser hidden someplace."

"Then maybe there was something in the map that set it off," Mina said.

"I'm thinking more like something was missing," Kiri said, "did either of you two ever take a close look at that map?"

The two girls shook their head no.

"Well, when you first showed it to me, I thought it had some kind of weird watermark in the paper or something," Kiri said, "yesterday, when you gave it to me, it looked normal."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kira-san," Mina said, "that paper didn't look strange to me."

"Maybe it was nothing," Kiri said, "but maybe there was something about that paper that changed, and that's what the laser saw, or didn't see in this case."

"You say that like it was intelligent or something," Mina said.

"Maybe so. This is Japan, you know."

"Then, how were we able to escape?" Kathy said next.

"Technically, we didn't," Kiri replied, "remember, that girl caught us."

"So we got caught by a ten year old gaijin," Mina said, "it wasn't like she was a cop or something."

"All the same, we got caught," Kiri replied, "I guess she didn't feel like reporting us to the library administration or we would have heard something by now."

"So, now what," Kathy asked, "we haven't got a map."

"Yeah, it looks like our little expedition is over before it even got started," Kiri said, "maybe we should just join the Library Exploration Club. Maybe we could get to the lower levels, even though we are in junior high."

"That might be a good idea," Mina said, "let's all go over to the library after class and hang out. Maybe find that Faculty Advisor and talk to her about it."

* * *

><p>The hospital where Konoemon Konoe was staying at had several large conference rooms that could be magically soundproofed for confidential meetings. Now, most of the mages of the security staff stood around the room as the Dean sat in his wheelchair getting the latest report on the security breach at Library Island.<p>

"So, someone tried breaking in to the lower levels of the library," Dean Konoe asked the assembled group, "and no one was able to capture them. Why is that?"

Most of the others gathered in the small conference room at the hospital just looked at each other, but no one spoke up.

"We will have to address that shortcoming later," he said, "McDowell-san, would you be so kind as to patrol the library again this afternoon? You can blend in as a student better than anyone else, and I want insurance just in case whoever tried this yesterday tries again today."

"They'd be idiots if they did," someone remarked.

"Sometimes idiots have very good luck," the Dean replied, "if you would please, Eva-san?"

The girl just grunted and nodded her head. It wasn't like she really had anything better to do today.

* * *

><p>That afternoon, Evangeline lolled at one of the study tables in the library, looking like a bored student. The student part was a fabrication, the bored part wasn't. When she told Chachamaru to accompany her, the automaton begged off, saying she had a prior engagement.<p>

As she sat there, Eva noticed three girls walking down the main aisle, the three she had caught yesterday. She casually picked up a magazine that she had sitting close by and brought it up to her face, obscuring her to the trio. _It might be interesting to have some fun with those girls,_ she thought to herself.

Looking about, she saw a familiar figure standing over at one of the counters, looking for someone. Smiling, the girl got up and sauntered over.

"Lose something, Akashi-kun?" Eva said to the man. Startled, he whipped around, letting out a breath when he saw the girl.

"Evangeline-san, you startled me!" the man said.

"That wouldn't happen if you kept your head out of your ass," Eva snarked.

"Sorry," he said, not wanting to start something he couldn't finish, "I was just looking for one of the librarians or someone from the Library Exploration Club. I need to have a scroll retrieved from one of the lower levels."

"Really?" Eva replied, smiling sweetly. Akashi gulped; Evangeline A. K. McDowell didn't smile sweetly unless she was ready to eat you alive.

"Why don't you ask those three girls over there?" Eva said, "I'm sure they could help you."

Akashi turned to where Eva indicated, and saw three junior high girls walking down the main aisle.

"They're Library Exploration?" he asked, "you know they've dialed up the traps and alarms down there."

"Oh, I'm sure they can help you out," Eva replied, still smiling.

Akashi thought about it for a moment, then headed off after the girls. Evangeline turned back to her table, laughing to herself.

"Those girls want to explore the library? Well, now they can."

* * *

><p>"Excuse me, girls? Could you help me?" called out a voice from behind Kiri, Mina and Kath.<p>

They turned around and saw a man almost running up to them. "Excuse me," he said, "I was told you could help me. I need to get a book from one of the lower levels."

"Well, we're not..." Kiri began before Kathy kicked her shin.

"What my friend was saying was , we're not heading down there today," Kathy quickly said, "we aren't scheduled to go down until next week."

"Oh, that would be too late," the man said, "I guess I'll just have to talk to Miyazaki-san and..."

"But," Kathy interrupted, "I guess we could make an exception for you. We've got some free time this weekend; we could run down and get it then, I suppose."

"That would be great!" the man exclaimed. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a piece of paper. Kiri's eyes widened just a little when she saw the faintly glowing watermarks on the paper.

"Here is what I need," he said, handing the sheet to Kathy, "if you could have it to my office Monday morning I'd appreciate it. I'll even put in a good word with Miyazaki-san for you!"

"No problem at all, sensei," Kathy said, taking the paper, "we're only too glad to be of help."

As the man walked off, Kathy held up the paper she had been given and said to her companions, "well, looks like we've got our ticket to ride. Let's do this!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners, particularly the characters taken from the manga, Mahou Sensei Negima. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Saturday, the trio met up, had breakfast, and made their way to Library Island. Once there, Kiri took the paper and led them back to the staff only area of the main floor. There seemed to be quite a few librarians working in the back this day, and the three got quite nervous at the looks they got. But no one stopped them so they continued down to the lowest level.<p>

Kiri noticed something as they descended. The paper she was holding seemed to warm at her touch. Not only that, something in her head was pointing her in the direction of the door that was their objective.

"Hold up a minute," she said, stopping, "Kathy, hold this and tell me if you feel anything strange."

Kathy Tanaka took the paper and held it a moment. "I don't feel anything unusual," she said.

"Close you eyes and spin around a couple of times," Kiri said next. Kathy gave her a questioning look, but then shrugged and did as requested.

"Now, keeping your eyes closed, point to where you think the door to the lower level is."

Kathy pointed. It was no where near the door.

"Hmm," Kiri said, "give me the paper back."

The blond gaijin did, and Kiri repeated the test. As soon as she stopped spinning, she turned a little more and pointed, at the door. She opened her eyes and saw this, then said, "okay, that's weird."

"What do you mean," Mina asked.

"When I hold this, it feels kinda warm in my hand," Kiri explained, "and I just know where that door is."

"Well, you have been here twice," Kathy said.

"Yeah, but not often enough to find it with my eyes closed," Kiri retorted, "with this, I think I could do just that."

"How?" Mina asked.

"Heck if I know," was Kiri's reply, "let's get going. I'll hold on to this."

With that, they went to the door to the sub levels of the library. Kiri hesitated a second, but then grabbed the knob and opened the door. It opened without any trouble and the three entered the lower levels of Library Island.

* * *

><p>"That's odd," a girl said several buildings away. She looked closer at the message on her screen, double checking to confirm it said what she thought it said.<p>

"Sir, I've got an alert," she said, typing as she spoke. Before the supervisor could join her, she was looking at a computer display showing a schematic of Library Island, a small red spot indicating the source of the message she was investigating.

Her supervisor walked up to the console and looked over the girl's shoulder and asked, "where exactly?"

The girl typed and a pop-up window displayed. "Library Island, Sub-Basement 2, Access Stairwell 1 South."

"Hmm," the supervisor said, "it's probably a group from the Library Exploration Club."

"I thought we were to be notified if anyone went down there," the girl said, "what with the incident we had Thursday."

"You're right," the supervisor agreed, "who's on call over there today?"

"Miyazaki-san," the girl said, "should I call her?"

"Yeah, you'd probably better," the supervisor said, "it's probably the Library Exploration Club, but I don't want Konoe-sama coming down on my neck for not telling someone if it isn't."

"Konoka-san isn't like that," the girl said.

"That may be true normally, Coccone-san, but with her being pregnant, all bets are off as far as temperament goes. And gods help anyone that sets her off; Setsuna would have their head before Konoka could stop her."

Coccone laughed, "she's not that bad."

"Even so, please call Nodoka-san and let her know about the alert."

* * *

><p>The stairwell seemed deeper than most to the three explorers, but they finally made it to the bottom. This new level was dark like the stairwell so Kathy felt around for a light switch close by. She found it and the area they stood in lit up.<p>

The girls were expecting a basement looking space, so they were unprepared for what they saw. The area they were in was just as well appointed as the main floor of the library, with wood bookshelves, wall paneling and molding all around. Even more surprising what the fact there was not a speck of dust anywhere; the area was as clean as the main library was.

As one faced into the floor, there stood a sign:

ALL EXPLORATION TEAMS CHECK THE NOTICE BOARD BEFORE CONTINUING

"Exploration Teams?" Kiri said out loud.

"Well, it is called the Library Exploration Club, but I thought it was just a cute term for the student librarians," Mina said.

"Well, let's check this Notice Board," Kathy said as she walked off to the right, towards a library check in/check out station.

At the station's counter, there were numerous memos and notices stuck haphazardly on the surface.

BE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR BASIC KIT IN GOOD ORDER BEFORE SETTING OUT

NO JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH TEAMS SHALL VENTURE BELOW SUB-LEVEL 4 WITHOUT A GRADUATE MEMBER OR STAFFER

EQUIPMENT CHECKED OUT FROM EQUIPMENT STORES MUST BE SIGNED OUT BY THE USER AND RETURNED IN GOOD CONDITION

That last message caught Mina's eye.

"Equipment?" she said, then started looking around. Since there seemed to be no one but them on this floor, the girl walked around the counter and started checking the area behind it. She quickly found a door labeled, "Equipment Storage," and opened it.

"Hey, come look at this!" she called out.

Kathy and Kiri went around the counter and joined Mina at the door. Inside the room was equipment, but not the kind one would expect in a library: climbing ropes, harnesses, other climbing gear, hard hats, lanterns and the like.

"What the heck?" Kathy said, "who would need this stuff in a library?"

"I don't know," Kiri said, "I did hear them say something about rappelling when I came down here on Wednesday."

"Climbing gear?" Mina said, "maybe they need this stuff in some of the deeper levels."

"All the same, I think maybe we should take some of it with us," Kathy said, "at least the lanterns."

"Okay, but I'm getting a bad feeling about this," Kiri said as she picked up a first aid kit and a lantern and put it into a backpack. Her two friends added lanterns to the pack, then continued looking for what they thought they'd need for their expedition. Not really knowing what they were getting into, the girls decided that the lanterns and the first aid kit were enough and left the storeroom.

* * *

><p>Saturdays were generally slow at Library Island, so Nodoka was able to do things she wasn't normally able to do during the week. She had been looking at some of the older library catalogs, trying to find information on any interesting artifacts that might be found in Mundus Magicus. Negi was in one of the upper levels, researching some spell for a lecture he was giving next week. When she had finished her penance for the day, they were going out to dinner.<p>

She had just set aside the latest scroll when her cell phone rang.

"Hello, Miyazaki."

"Nodoka-sempai, it's Coccone, over in Security," came the caller's voice.

"Hi! How are you today?" was the reply.

"Okay," Coccone said, "the reason why I called is I got an alert just now. One of the wards on Library Island tripped."

"Which one?"

"Sub-Basement 2, Access Stairwell 1 South. Are there any Exploration Club Teams heading down there?"

"No, there's none scheduled as far as I know," Nodoka said. Cradling the cell phone on her shoulder, she reached over to a sheaf of papers, picked them up and started flipping through them, checking them over.

"No, there's nothing scheduled for today, or this weekend for that matter."

"Then we may have an intruder again," Coccone said, "I'll send someone over to check it out."

"No need," Nodoka said, "I'll check it out."

"Nodoka-sempai, a mage should really handle this."

"I know, and I have one with me."

"Negi-sensei?"

"Yes, so we'll be okay. I'll call you once I've checked around."

With that, Nodoka ended the call, then dialed another number.

"Negi, hi!" she said, "I need you to head down here. We may have intruders in the lower levels and I'm going to look into it."

"Sure. I'll be right there," the young man replied.

* * *

><p>Kiri shifted the pack on her shoulder and checked the paper she was holding again. There was no doubt about it, it was telling her to walk off the balcony she was standing at and drop down into the darkness below.<p>

"You're saying we have to go down there?" Mina asked, "maybe you're right, we oughta go back."

"Well, look over there," Kathy said, pointing off to her right. There was a break in the balcony's railing where the girl pointed, with what looked like a path leading out and away from the balcony. "Maybe we can get down over there."

Not having a better idea, the three walked over to the gap. When they got there they found there was a path of sorts that led out from the balcony; it was the top of a bookcase. Looking farther out, they saw that there were bookshelves lined up next to each other out farther than they could see. Not only that, there were bookcases that rose up what looked like three or four stories, explaining the abnormally long length of the stairs the came down.

"Kiri, what do you think?" Kathy asked.

"Whatever it is in my head is still pointing back there and down," the girl replied, "even if we go out there, there doesn't look to be any way down."

"Look closer," Mina said, pointing to the bookcase path before them. On the top of the bookcase, evenly spaced, were cleats.

"I guess that's what the rope is for," Mina added, "wish we'd brought some."

"Even if we did," Kiri said, "we're not going out there. I don't know about you two, but I've never taken a climbing course in my life."

"So what do we do?" Kathy asked.

"We look for another way down."

* * *

><p>Nodoka was just starting to wonder where Negi was when her office door opened, and Negi walked in, followed by Konoka and Setsuna.<p>

"Look who I ran into," Negi said as he crossed over to Nodoka and gave her a kiss.

"I hear you've got an intruder," Konoka said.

"All I know for sure is we got an alert on the same door that tripped on Thursday," Nodoka said, "If it were an alarm, they would be blaring everywhere."

"Well, Coccone contacted me after she talked to you," Setsuna said, "and I told her I'd come over to back you up. Ojou-sama here insisted on coming along."

"Well, I haven't been down below in a long time," the girl said, "so I thought I'd tag along."

"Not today," Setsuna firmly said, "you are no condition now to be doing things like that."

"I'll be alright," Konoka said, "I haven't been down in the lower levels in so long, I'm afraid I've lost my edge."

"Then you've lost your edge," her partner replied, "deal with it. You either stay here, down by the Equipment Locker, or you go home. Don't make me call your grandfather, because I will do it."

"You are such a meanie, Se-chan," Konoka replied, sticking her tongue out, "okay, I'll sit up here while you three have all the fun; satisfied?"

"There's another reason for you to stay behind," Setsuna added, "if we do find something and someone gets hurt, I can teleport them to you and have them healed. So it's not just because I don't want to see you hurt Kono-chan."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners, particularly the characters taken from the manga, Mahou Sensei Negima. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

><p>Whatever was in Kiri's head seemed to have adapted to the fact that they weren't going to climb down the bookcases, and was pointing out an alternate path to their destination. It took them a bit, but they finally found a door that had a stairway going down. Taking it, they found it shorter than the one they originally took. Stepping onto the landing, they found a door that opened into another level of the library, as well as stairs continuing down. Kiri closed her eyes a moment and sensed that they needed to go down.<p>

Taking the stairs down to the next level, Kiri sensed that this level was where they needed to be. Opening the door, the girls walked in. Mina felt around the doorway for a light switch, and quickly found one. The lights came on for the floor, illuminating what looked like The Treasure Room Of The Gods. Everywhere, from floor to ceiling, were statues, goblets, crowns, all kinds of things, all made of solid gold. What's more, the light on this level seemed to make the objects glow with a yellowish light. Kathy immediately started walking towards one pile of treasure, her eyes set on a golden tiara, with what looked like huge diamonds set in them.

"Kathy, no!" Kiri shouted, "don't touch that!"

Kathy turned to her friend. "Why not?" she said, a goofy smile on her face, "look at all this stuff, just lying around! Surely no one will miss a few little things. And they're so pretty..." Slowly, the girl started to turn back to the treasure, a hand reaching out to grab something.

"Listen to yourself!" Mina said, now joining in, "think a moment! If you had all this valuable stuff, would you just leave it lying around for anyone to take?"

Kathy blinked, then shook her head to clear her mind. "No, you're right," she said, "it would be stupid to leave this out with nothing protecting it."

"Which means one of two things," Kiri said, "either there is something protecting all this stuff, or it isn't real."

"Isn't real?"

"Isn't real," Kiri said, "look; on Thursday, that map we had fairly well exploded in my hands. Today, I'm holding a piece of paper that's showing me where we need to go. Guiding me! You were right about something being weird about this place. The thing about it is, it's even weirder than you imagined. If it wasn't for the fact we more or less promised that teacher that we'd get his book for him, I'd say let's ditch this plan and get out of here."

"So, screw the book and let's go," Mina said, "I agree that we're getting in way over our heads."

"No," Kiri said, "I don't know if it's me, or whatever this paper is, but I want to find that book. We're on the same level as it is, so let's go get it, get out of here and call ourselves lucky."

* * *

><p>Nodoka looked around the Equipment Locker and found that most of the equipment was still here. She did note that one pack, three lanterns and a first aid kit were missing.<p>

"I think we need to pick up the pace," she told Negi and Setsuna, who were standing outside waiting for her. "Whoever's down here doesn't know what they're getting themselves into. They took some things, but not even half the equipment we have club members check out, even for just cleaning the bookshelves." Nodoka emerged from the storeroom, carrying several bundles of rope and other equipment with her.

Leaving the room, the three walked over to the balcony. Leaning out over the railing, Nodoka noticed a light on, two levels down.

"Hello!" she shouted, "whoever's down there, stop what you're doing and come back up right now! That level is extremely dangerous and you could be injured or even killed. Just come back up here and we'll work something out!"

Not hearing an answer after a moment, she dropped her burden to the floor, then rummaged through the stuff, quickly removing three harnesses.

"Here, put these on," she said as she climbed into her own harness, slipping it over the slacks she was wearing today, "the fastest way down is over the side. You've rappelled before, right Setsuna?"

"Not really," the woman replied, "I could just fly down."

"No," Negi said as he put on his own harness, "we don't know who's down there, and we don't want knowledge of your true form getting out."

Nodoka had just secured her own harness, and now was checking Negi over, tugging on everything to make sure the harness wouldn't come loose at the wrong time. Seeing Negi was secure, she next took one of the bundles of rope and unbound it, taking one end and tying it to the base of one of the railings. After making sure it was secure, she turned back to Setsuna, who hadn't moved.

"C'mon, Setsuna, gear up," Nodoka chided, "it's not as bad as it looks. At least if you fall, you can fly out of it."

Nodding, Setsuna picked up the last harness and stepped into it, sliding it up and somehow positioning it over the skirt she had decided to wear today. As she did, Nodoka took the next bundle of rope and secured it to the rail where she had tied the first rope, then had Negi tie the last one on. By this time, Setsuna had her harness on, with her skirt sticking out of it in unusual ways, revealing the bicycle shorts she generally wore under such garb. Nodoka checked her out, making some last minute adjustments to her harness.

"Okay, come over here," she said next as she tossed to rope bundles over the railing, "I'm about to give you a crash course in rappelling."

* * *

><p>The trio had just cleared the treasure room when they heard someone shout.<p>

"Hello! Whoever's down there, stop what you're doing and come back up right now! That level is extremely dangerous and you could be injured or even killed. Just come back up here and we'll work something out!"

"Crap, they're on to us," Kiri said, "we have to move.

With that, she got her bearings and took off, Mina and Kathy following close behind. Kiri moved like she had been here all her life; she knew for a fact that the book she was looking for was just ten rows down. Then nine; then eight...

Then, almost as if she had been teleported there, Kiri was standing before the row that was her destination. Mina and Kathy almost collided into her when she stopped suddenly.

"We're here," Kiri said, "it's down that aisle."

"Then let's get it and get out of here," Kathy said, "whoever's up there said this place is dangerous."

"Then watch your step," Kiri said as she started down the aisle.

As she walked, Kiri noticed that there were patterns on the floor, and the patterns didn't look like they were part of the decor. Moving cautiously, she avoided all of the markings on the floor, just like she was playing hopscotch. Her two friends followed behind her, following in her footsteps and avoiding the odd patterns in the floor also. Finally, whatever it was in Kiri's mind told here she was here.

"Finally," she said out loud.

Mina and Kathy joined her, looking around.

"Okay, where is it," Mina asked.

"Umm, here; I think," Kiri said, reaching into one of the shelves. Her hand was guided to the proper book; not a book really, but a scroll. She pulled it out and took a look at it, trying to confirm that she had gotten the right one. There was what looked like letters on the outside of the scroll, but not in any language she had ever seen. Looking at it closer, she saw a number code on one edge of the scroll. Remembering something, Kiri took the sheet of paper that had brought her here and looked at it. There, next to the title, "Asseem's Treatise On The Fundamental Nature Of Magical Energy," was a number code, the same as what was on the scroll. Whatever this was, she had found it. The paper seemed to realize this also, because it lost whatever watermark pattern it had and became just a piece of paper.

"Yup, I've got it," she said triumphantly, "now let's get outta here."

"Hey," Kathy said, "take a look at this!"

Kiri and Mina turned and saw that Kathy was looking at something on the bookshelf across the aisle. She had reached her hand in for a book that looked to be bound in gold, intending to pull it out and look at it closer. However, the moment she touched the book, a soft _thum__p_ was heard, and something embedded itself in Kathy's right shoulder. The girl screamed as she fell to the floor.

"What the..." Kiri said.

"Let's get outta here!" Mina shouted. The girl then turned and ran back the way they had come in a panic. She hadn't gotten four steps when she had stepped on one of the patterns on the floor. Suddenly, it looked like vines shot out from everywhere, entwining Mina and wrapping her up like a mummy, pulling her up against one of the bookcases and lifting her up off the floor. Kiri dropped the scroll she had just retrieved, the paper that had guided her here as well as the pack she was carrying and went to help her friend when she stepped on a pattern. Vines lashed out and she too was ensnared.

On the floor, Kathy had turned and saw her friends captured. She looked down and saw the barb of an arrow protruding from her upper chest on the right side, and screamed once again before passing out from shock.

* * *

><p>Negi, Nodoka and Setsuna had just cleared the balcony on the floor below the one they started from when they heard the scream.<p>

"Damn!" Nodoka spat, "they tripped something. You two make it down the best you can, but hurry!"

With that, Nodoka eased the grip she was keeping on her line and dropped down to the next level like the climber she had been all these years. Just as she came to the edge of the ceiling of that level, she pushed herself away from the wall, then swung into level.

"You know," Setsuna said to Negi, "if it weren't for that scream, I'd swear Honya was showing off."

"Well, we had better catch up with her," Negi said as he released the tension on his line and slid down.

* * *

><p>Kiri struggled, but couldn't get free. As a matter of fact, the more she fought, the tighter the vines got. Thinking, she stopped moving and the vines stopped getting tighter. Unfortunately, they didn't loosen like she had hoped they might. She looked over at Kathy, who was slumped on the floor, her shirt drenched in her own blood as it ran out of the wound and started to pool on the floor. She then turned her head, causing the vines to tighten again, and saw that Mina was in the same predicament she was in, although it looked like she hadn't figured out that the vines tightened the more you fought. As a matter of fact, it looked like Mina had passed out.<p>

There was something else too. Even though she had stopped struggling, the vines kept constricting. It took Kiri a second to realize that it was because she was still breathing. It wasn't trying to escape that caused the vines to tighten, it was any movement. She was a rabbit, caught in a boa constrictor's coils, and it was going to suffocate her and consume her. She tried everything she could, but the vines were implacable. The edges around her sight started to go dark, and the last thing Kiri thought was that she was going to die down here, along with two friends she had just made, and all for a book.

_It just isn't fair_, was her last thought as she blacked out.

* * *

><p>The second Nodoka regained her balance on the balcony, she undid her harness and started running along the rows of bookshelves. She had no idea if she was running in the right direction when another scream let out. That gave her enough of a bearing to know she was going in the right direction, and the intruders were close. A few more rows, and she caught a flash of someone on the floor. Skidding to a stop, she saw one girl, a junior-high schooler, was slumped down with an arrow sticking out of her shoulder. A little further away, two more figures were caught in Tangle Snares, struggling to get free.<p>

"We've got casualties!" the librarian shouted as she ran down the aisle, nimbly avoiding the patterns in the floor that triggered the Tangle Snares. Reaching the girl who had been shot, Nodoka did a quick triage and determined that although the bolt didn't pierce her lungs, she was bleeding badly and needed immediate attention. Casting a quick look about, Nodoka saw a pack lying on the floor. Hoping against hope, she scrambled over to it and opened it. Inside were three lanterns and a Library Exploration Club First Aid Kit. Even better, it was a Mark II kit. Pulling it out, Nodoka opened it and quickly checked for what she was looking for. Finding it, she withdrew a small syringe.

It was then she heard the sounds of footsteps running towards her. "Watch out for the patterns on the floor!" she called out in warning, "they trip the snares in this aisle!"

As she called out this warning, Nodoka scooted back over to the fallen girl. Popping the guard off of the syringe, she jammed it into the girl's shoulder, at the base of her neck. Pressing down on the plunger, she injected the Life Stabilizing Potion into the girl. Just as she withdrew the needle, Negi and Setsuna arrived.

"Setsuna, this one needs immediate medical attention," Nodoka said without preamble, "Negi, stay here while I deactivate the snares."

Negi nodded as Nodoka got up and proceeded down the aisle. As soon as she got up, Setsuna knelt down in her place. Removing a card from her blouse, she held it up to her forehead. A second later, a mandala appeared beneath her and the injured girl, and they disappeared.

Nodoka, meanwhile, quickly made her way to a support pillar that stood between two of the bookcases. About three meters up hung what looked like a lighting sconce; however, it cast no light. Toeing off her shoes, Nodoka climbed up on one of the bookshelves, her toes gripping the shelf base and the side of the bookcase. She quickly scrambled up the side of the bookcase until she was even with the sconce. Then, reaching out, she twisted the sconce 180 degrees to the left, then pulled up on it. Immediately, the snares holding the other two girls loosened, and they slumped to the floor.

As she scrambled down, Nodoka said, "it's okay, Negi; I've disabled the snares. You don't have to worry about tripping them now."

Negi quickly made his way to the nearest of the girls. He quickly cleared away the vines, revealing the face of Kiri Mishima, one of his students. Setting his surprise aside, he quickly checked her vital signs, and was relieved when they were present and seemed stable. Performing another quick check, he made sure nothing was broken, then removed the rest of the vines from around her.

"This one's okay," Nodoka called out. While Negi was working on Kiri, Nodoka had gone over and freed the other girl. "We still need to get them out of here and to some medical attention. I think the snares were set to near maximum strength."

"What does that mean," Negi asked.

"It means that if we hadn't found them when we did, they probably would have been suffocated," Nodoka replied, "the snares usually stop once the victim stops thrashing about, but these kept on tightening. I don't think there will be any permanent damage, but it was a close thing."

* * *

><p>Setsuna and Negi weren't quite as graceful as Nodoka at repelling the rest of the way down, but they made it, and quickly shed their harnesses. They noticed Nodoka disappearing down a row of bookshelves and followed her. When they reached the aisle she had ducked down, they saw her looking over a downed student, obviously injured. She then went to the other side of the row, opened a pack lying there, and pulled out a first aid kit. As they started down the aisle to join her, Nodoka called out, "watch out for the patterns on the floor! They trip the snares in this aisle!"<p>

So, careful not to step on any of the floor patterns, Setsuna and Negi ran up and joined Nodoka. When the got there, they saw the librarian jamming a syringe into the base of the fallen girl's neck. Negi recognized the girl as Kathy Tanaka from one of his English classes.

"Setsuna, this one needs immediate medical attention," Nodoka said, "Negi, stay here while I deactivate the snares."

Setsuna nodded and knelt down in Nodoka's place, taking the injured girl in her arms. Pulling her Pactio card with Konoka, she put it to her head and thought, _Te__lepathia! Konoka! We have a severely injured girl here! Teleport us to your location!_

_Will do!_ came Konoka's response. About as soon as the thought finished echoing in Setsuna's mind, a glowing pattern appeared on the floor beneath her and the victim, and they disappeared, reappearing microseconds later on the floor in Nodoka's office.

Konoka took one look at the girl Setsuna held, and discarded the Pactio card she was holding, the one she had with Negi. She quickly knelt down, took the girl in her arms and began intoning a chant:

_Ibuki-dono ooharahe_

_Takamagahara ni kamudzumarimasu Kamuroki Kamuromi no Mikoto wo mochite_

_Sumegamitachi no mae ni mausaku kurushimi urefu waga tomo wo mamori meguma hi saki hahe tamae to_

_Fujihara no asomi Konoe Konoka no_

_iku musubi wo udzu no mitegura ni sono he tatematsuru koto wo moromoro kikoshimese (1)_

As she chanted, Konoka began to glow with power. Then, it seemed like she separated from herself, a pure glowing spirit which embraced the wounded girl, drawing her close and infusing her with healing energy.

Konoka concentrated on controlling the flow of her healing power, only letting enough flow out to heal and no more. She also had to control the power so that it wouldn't leak out and affect the baby she had growing in her womb. Feeling the power had reached a certain point, the heir to the Konoe Family reached out and pulled the arrow from the girl's shoulder. She breathed a sigh of relief when the wound closed up once she removed the object. Casting it off to the side, Konoka tapered off the power she was sending out, and lulling the girl into a deep sleep.

"Se-chan, call the EMTs" Konoka finally said after taking a deep breath, "and alert the Special Wing at the hospital that we have casualties coming in."

* * *

><p>It didn't take Negi and Nodoka long to get the remaining two girls back up to the main library level. When they got there, an EMS crew was loading the wounded girl, Kathy Tanaka, into a gurney for transport. Negi felt Kiri, the girl he was carrying, start to stir. He set her down on the floor, then motioned Konoka over. When she got there, Negi had her put both Kiri and Mina Tamazaki, another girl from his class, to sleep so they could recover. They then had the EMS crew take the other two along with the girl they had already loaded up over to Mahora University Medical Center, and put them in the Security Wing. They needed the girls isolated and secure so they could recover; and so they couldn't escape what would have to happen next.<p>

* * *

><p>(1) "A Purification Ritual to Ibuki-donushi", courtesy of Vetus.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners, particularly the characters taken from the manga, Mahou Sensei Negima. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

><p>Kiri Mishima woke up, thankful to be alive. She opened her eyes to a fuzzy world, one that did not look like the underground library level she last remembered.<p>

"Here's your glasses," a woman's voice said. Kiri felt a hand place something in hers, her glasses. Automatically, she put them on, and the world around her sharpened to 20/20 clarity.

It looked like she was in a hospital somewhere. There was a bright whiteness all around her, and she saw privacy curtains like one would find in a hospital all around her bed. Another clue was the wire leads leading to monitoring equipment off to one side. Another good sign was she didn't have any plastic tubing running into her anywhere.

"You're in the Mahora University Medical Center, in case you're wondering," came the woman's voice again. Kiri turned to the voice and saw the librarian she had run into earlier this week that seemed to be the harbinger of this entire (mis)adventure.

"Miyazaki-san, right?" Kiri asked.

Nodoka nodded in the affirmative. "How are you feeling, Mishima-san?" she asked next.

"Stupid, and thankful to be alive," Kiri replied, "just what were those things, anyway?"

"We call them Tangler Snares," Nodoka replied, "normally, they would just catch and hold someone who tripped them, but with the heightened security levels, they got a little more aggressive."

"They're alive?"

"No, they're not," was the reply, "now, just what were you three doing down there? Weren't you told that the lower levels were off-limits?"

"Yes," Kiri admitted, "but on Friday, a teacher came up and asked us to get a book for him. So that's what we were doing, for the most part."

"You mean this?" Nodoka held up a sheet of paper, the request the girls had gotten from the teacher, as well as the scroll they had found. "Well, that explains things. Why didn't you just tell him that you weren't with the library?"

"Well," Kiri began, "we wanted to know more about the place. You see, Mina and Kathy heard some crazy stuff about Library Island, and wanted to explore it. I met them almost immediately after I met you the other day. Mina had gotten some kind of map that showed all these extra levels, and they both had heard some strange stories about magical books that make you smart, and a room where you could just sit and read forever."

"So, did you want the book or the room?"

"Actually, at the time I wanted the room," Kiri admitted, "I really didn't want to be here, and that room sounded like the perfect escape for me."

"It is a wonderful place, or so I heard," Nodoka said, "not that I've been there myself; but a good friend of mine found it years ago."

"Was she one of the five?" Kiri asked.

"Five?"

"The five girls who found the magic book of knowledge and tested completely out of school."

Nodoka laughed at that.

"No, they weren't," she said, "but the experience did help them to pass their finals that year, but a magic book had very little to do with it."

"What did?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," Nodoka said, "now, I've been told by the Assistant Dean that you and your friends are free to leave once you woke up, but you are restricted to your dorms until Monday morning."

"Kathy's okay?"

"Of course; she only passed out like you did."

"But I saw her get shot with an arrow!"

"Well, she's in the bed right across from you; so why don't you take a look?"

With that, Kiri got out of the bed she was in and went outside the privacy curtain, Nodoka close behind. As the woman had indicated, Kathy Tanaka was in the bed directly across from her, sitting up and talking quietly with Mina. They saw here come out and their faces brightened at seeing their friend up and about.

"Kathy! Are you all right?" Kiri exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, "I had a weird dream while I was out though. I thought I'd been shot by an arrow."

"You were," Kiri shot back, "check your shoulder!"

Kathy opened her shirt, which wasn't ripped or torn in any way, enough to slip it off her right shoulder. Kiri looked close, but there wasn't a mark on the girl.

"The nurse explained that sometimes you have hallucinations when you get choked like we were," Kathy said, "I guess it was just a dream."

Standing behind Kiri, Nodoka thought to herself, _you were very lucky we got to you when we did. You almost bled to death before Konoka could heal you enough to get you to the real healing mages, __even with the Life __Stabilizing__ Potion I injected into you__._

"Like I just told Mishima-san," Nodoka said to the group, "you are all free to leave, but are restricted to your rooms until Monday. By then, we'll know what we're going to do about you three. And by the way," she added, holding up the scroll they had retrieved, "when someone checks a book out of the library, we have to record the removal. This time, I'll check the book out and deliver it to Akashi-sensei, but next time, you'll have to do it yourselves."

* * *

><p>About an hour after their reunion, Kiri, Mina and Kathy walked out of the hospital.<p>

"I can't believe they just let us walk out like that," Mina said.

"Yeah. Suddenly, I've got this urge to karaoke in celebration of our victory," Kathy chimed in.

"That would not be a good idea, de-gorazu," came a woman's voice next to Kathy.

Surprised, the three turned to the person who had spoken. Walking next to them, as if she didn't have a care in the world, was a tall woman with dark hair, bound up in a ponytail that extended almost down to her ankles. She was wearing dark slacks and a shirt that almost looked like a gi.

"Just because you were released on your own recognizance doesn't mean you are not being watched," the woman said next, "if you do not directly return to your dorm rooms and remain there until class starts on Monday, it will be reported and you will be in trouble."

As if to emphasize the woman's point, two more women, about a head shorter than she was and dressed in a similar manner, almost magically appeared next to both Mina and Kiri. They looked to be identical twins with pink hair and an almost mischievous look in their eyes.

Looking around them, the trio realized that they were effectively trapped. "We'll go," they said in unison.

"Good," the tall woman said, "my friends and I will escort you back to the dorms and make sure you get settled."

* * *

><p>When Kiri got back to her room, she collapsed on her bed and began shivering as the impact of what had happened, and what almost happened, hit her. She lay there, curled up tightly, shaking and trying to keep from crying as the last of the adrenaline faded from her system. After a bit, she settled down and relaxed as exhaustion replaced tension.<p>

She had been laying in bed for around an hour when she heard a knock on her door. Opening it, she saw a stocky woman at the door holding what looked like a tub of meat buns. Kiri recognized the woman as Satsuki Yotsuba, the owner of the Chao Bao Zi food cart that was located on the campus.

"The Assistant Dean asked me to drop this off to you," Satsuki said, "I've already delivered to your friends, so you don't have to worry about them."

"Thanks," Kiri said as she accepted the meal.

"It's kind of exciting, isn't it," Satsuki said next, "having adventures?"

"Except for the almost getting killed part, yeah, I guess," Kiri replied.

"That was due to lack of knowledge," the woman replied, "maybe things would have been different if you knew what you were doing."

"Probably," Kiri agreed, "thanks again for the food."

"You're welcome," Satsuki replied. Before she left, she added, "don't think you've ruined your chances here, Mishima-san. I think you've actually impressed some people."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners, particularly the characters taken from the manga, Mahou Sensei Negima. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

><p>When Monday morning came, Kiri dressed for school and waited for the ax to fall. The knock on her door though wasn't the executioner come calling, but Kathy and Mina.<p>

"C'mon, we' supposed to be in class," Mina said as soon as Kiri opened the door. Nodding, she grabbed her book bag and set off with the other two for what was probably their final day in school.

When they got to the classroom, everything was, well normal. The other girls in the class were chatting among themselves and no one paid them any mind when they entered the room. Kathy and Mina walked to their desk as Kiri went to hers. Just as she set her book bag down, Ayase-sensei entered and everyone stood. Kiri noticed that the teacher seemed to limp as she entered the class, and winced when she turned to her desk.

As promised, class began with a quiz on the material they should have studied last Friday. Afterwards, they took their tests and self graded them, with Ayase-sensei going over each answer in detail. Class seemed to drag on, with the teacher droning on about Classic Literature and trying to make it applicable to their lives. Finally, just before the bell rang, someone knocked on the classroom door. After a moment, the door opened and the woman they had been expecting and dreading stepped in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Setsuna Sakurazaki said, "but I was asked to escort Mishima-san, Tamazaki-san and Tanaka-san to the Dean's Office."

The Angel of Death had finally come for them.

* * *

><p>The three followed behind Sakurazaki-san without question. After what had happened when they left the hospital on Saturday, they were certain that there were at least a dozen guards hiding close by on the off chance that the girls decided to make a break for it. They quickly reached their execution ground and were ushered inside.<p>

There, at the huge desk that belonged to the Headmaster of Mahora Academy, sat the Assistant Dean, Konoka Konoe. Off to the right, just in front of the desk, stood Nodoka Miyazaki, the librarian who had rescued them. Next to her stood their English teacher, Negi Springfield. Sakurazaki-san walked around the desk and took station beside the Assistant Dean.

"We are expecting one more to join us, so please wait," Konoe-sama said to the girls.

Just then, the door opened and someone entered. "Please excuse my tardiness," came the voice of their homeroom teacher.

"There's nothing to excuse, Yue-sensei," the Assistant Dean replied.

The girls turned and watched their homeroom teacher come and stand by them. Kiri had thought it was her imagination before, but it seemed like Ayase-sensei was limping, and she definitely saw the woman wince in pain at one point as she entered the room.

"Would you like to sit?" Konoe-sama asked.

"I'll be fine," Ayase-sensei replied, giving her three students a brief look, "let's get this over with."

"Of course," the Assistant Dean said. Turning her attention to the girls, she said, "you three know the reason why we are all here. You girls, against all rules and regulations, entered a restricted area of the library. It is posted throughout the library that certain areas are restricted, and that it is dangerous to proceed without proper training or escort. Even so, you willfully entered those locations, and were injured as a result. Before that, you stole a confidential document, then tried using it to access the same restricted area, resulting in a security breach that caused a great disruption, not only to the operation of the library, but the entire campus as well. That disruption also had a direct bearing on the injuries you received."

Konoe-sama paused a moment for all that to sink in, then continued.

"Normally, what you did would be sufficient to expel the lot of you, along with the addition of criminal charges, since some of what we store on Library Island are considered confidential government documents. However, after discussing the matter with your teachers and Miyazaki-san, I have decided that a little leniency is in order. Effective immediately, you three are members of the Library Exploration Club, Junior High Division, and will be expected to actively participate in that club for the rest of the school year."

The Assistant Dean then drew out some papers and set them on the desk before her. "These are your applications to the club, back dated to the beginning of the school year. You can either sign them and join the club, or we can begin the process of expelling you; which ever you prefer."

Kiri, Mina and Kathy didn't even think; they stepped up, took the document that had their name on it, and signed. After they had finished, the Dean took the forms and gave them to Miyazaki-san.

The librarian regarded the three newest members of the Library Exploration Club with a smile, "now that we have this out of the way, you girls can start attending the club. You have a lot of catching up to do and we'll need to quickly get you up to speed on getting around the various levels of the library. When you come to club this afternoon, I'll personally work with you to catch you up on what you need to know."

"And welcome to the Library Exploration Club," Ayase-sensei added with a small smile, something the three girls had never seen her do, "as an alumnus of that club, along with the Assistant Dean, I'm glad to see it has such a bright future with girls like you participating. Now, go on back to the classroom; your next class has started and I left your homework assignments with the teacher."

The three girls turned, and, as fast as they could manage without it seeming like they were running, left the Dean's Office, thankful that they hadn't been expelled or worse, and certain they had just been bamboozled into something.

As soon as the inner door to the office closed, all of the adults remaining broke down laughing.

* * *

><p>That evening, Negi and Yue were in their apartment, finishing up with paper work for their respective classes. Negi was lounging in shirt and pants, while Yue had changed into a robe as soon as she got home.<p>

"That's done," she said with a wince as a bolt of pain shot through her. "Negi, could you help me out here?"

"Sure," was the response. He put down what he was doing and went over to where Yue was sitting. She had, in the meantime, loosened the belt on her robe, letting it slip off her shoulders and pooling around her hips in her seat. She wasn't wearing anything under the robe except a series of bandages that covered an ugly set of bruises on the right side over her ribcage.

"Ribs slip?" he asked.

"I don't think so," she replied, "I just think the pain killing spell wore off. Think you can renew it?"

"Yeah, hold on a minute."

Negi gently turned Yue around to face him, then put his left hand over her wound, the ring on his finger touching her directly. He quietly incanted, and a small surge of power flowed from him to her, stimulating the healing power of her body as well as dampening the pain receptors around her injury. As a last little help, he knelt down and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips. After a moment, he released her lips and began kissing his way along her cheek, to her neck, on his way down to her breast. Yue wrapped her arms around him and mewed contentedly as he worked his way down, forgetting about the pain that had brought him over. This continued for some few minutes.

Just as he kissed the tip of her left breast, the door to the apartment opened and Nodoka walked in.

"Hey, I just come home and I'm being left out!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry, but she wanted me to kiss her boo-boo," Negi said, standing upright.

"Well, it looks to me like you were kissing her boobies instead," Nodoka replied with a smile. She put down her bags and began unbuttoning her blouse. "And I demand equal treatment," she said as she cast off her shirt, starting next on her bra.

"So, would you like to have a griffin dragon come and break three of your ribs?" Yue deadpanned.

Standing topless before her two lovers, Nodoka held her arms out and replied, "no, but you both can at least kiss me hello."

Looking briefly at each other, Negi and Yue went over to their house mate and complied.

Later on, the three were laying in bed, settling in for the night. Yue was laying on her left side in the middle of the trio, with Negi behind her for support, while Nodoka snuggled in close and put her arms around her best friend and co-lover, careful not to put any weight on Yue's injuries.

"You know," Negi said, "I thought those three girls were going to wet themselves in the Dean's Office today."

"Yeah," Nodoka agreed, "it was kinda cruel doing that to them, but I think it was fair payback for making me work last weekend."

"I never realized that you were so spiteful," Yue said.

"I'm not spiteful, I've just got a strong sense of justice," Nodoka replied. After a moment, she added, "even so, we couldn't let someone like them get away from us. They did very well to get as far as they did without any training or assistance."

"I thought that paper was guiding them?" Negi asked.

"It was guiding Kiri," Nodoka said, "and that's something else you two need to know; Kiri is sensitive to magic. That may bring problems for her in the future."

"We'll keep an eye on her," Yue promised.

"You know, they kinda reminded me of Yue, Paru, Konoka and I," Nodoka said, "they're three people who came together because they found the library interesting."

"Well, Library Island is one of the most interesting places I've ever been in," Negi said, "it's the only library I know of where you can die if you take a wrong turn."

"It is that," Nodoka agreed, "but it's also a great place to have adventures; and I'm willing to bet that those three are going to have a lot of adventures before they graduate."


End file.
